Nato Adding Troops In S. Afghanistan

June 5, 2006|By Kim Barker Chicago Tribune

KABUL, Afghanistan — The number of foreign troops in troubled southern Afghanistan will double this summer, and the these troops will focus more on rebuilding the country instead of just fighting insurgents, the head of the NATO mission here said Sunday.

Lt. Gen. David Richards, the new commander of the International Security Assistance Force said the number of battalions would increase to four from two when the force takes over security from the U.S.-led coalition in the south, most likely late next month.

He estimated that the number of troops would go from an average of 3,000 to an average of 6,000.

"I think the coalition has done a really good job in the south, but they have been relatively short of troops, of boots on the ground," Richards said at a news conference.

Richards also said the international peacekeeping force would have a different approach toward insurgents than the U.S.-led coalition.

He said soldiers would concentrate more on rebuilding the war-torn country, still grappling with a weak infrastructure almost five years after the Taliban was driven out. He said the way to win a fight like this is to win the support of average Afghans, by giving them roads, power and water.

The switch from a U.S.-led coalition to an international mission in the south comes as Taliban remnants and other insurgents have stepped up attacks, especially in the south. Hundreds of fighters, mainly Taliban supporters, have been killed in intense battles in recent weeks.

Suicide attacks, once unheard of in Afghanistan, are now a daily event.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber killed three other people and injured 15 when he tried to blow up Asadullah Khalid, the governor of southern Kandahar province. Khalid was unhurt, said Dawood Ahmadi, his spokesman.